


brew me glory

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Harry Potter Next Generation, POV Lily Luna Potter, Post-Canon, Potions Class (Harry Potter), Short One Shot, Slytherin Lily Luna Potter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:01:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25058131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It's the day after Lily Luna Potter has just been Sorted into Slytherin and it's time for her first Potions class except she's sat alone, wondering how to make her House love her. Written for @clockworkherondale on Tumblr.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	brew me glory

Sitting alone in the dungeons at her first Potions class hadn’t quite been what she had expected from her very first day at Hogwarts. It’s not that she didn’t have friends and it’s not that she expected to have friends but rather that the friends she did have were in a different house and the friends that she could make weren’t currently speaking to her. Being Sorted into Slytherin had come as a shock initially but she had always known she wouldn’t fit into Gryffindor like her siblings. Ravenclaw might have been nice though, at least there she wouldn’t have stuck out like a sore thumb. Sighing, she pulled out her textbook and inhaled the scent of fresh pages. 

“Can I sit next to you?” A tall, dark-skinned girl with curly black hair hovered near her, her movements jittery and almost anxious. 

She moved her satchel from the stool with a flourish. “Of course, I’m Lily Luna Potter.” She extended her hand and was pleased when the girl shook it firmly.

“Ophelia Zabini,” She paused a moment. “Fair warning, I’m not really that well-liked in Slytherin. Apparently, I’m too interested in learning and not nearly ambitious enough if you believe Esme Nott.”

“Well, I can’t say that I’ve made any friends as of yet in Slytherin,” Her face cracked wide with a smile. “But, at least I now have you.”

Lily Luna was thankful when Professor Rao arrived, it allowed her to get a closer glimpse at Ophelia without being quite so overt. Ophelia’s face was rounded, there was a tiny H badge pinned to the lapel of her robes which was clearly for the Harpies and she was eagerly scanning her book in anticipation. And, she disliked Esme Nott which was definitely a plus after Esme had said that Lily didn’t belong in Slytherin and ordered everyone around her to avoid that Potter girl. 

“Miss Potter, can you tell me what colour smoke the Cure for Boils should emit?” Professor Rao interrupted her reverie with a pointed question.

“Pink smoke, Professor.” It wasn’t exactly a difficult question but then again she had been playing with Potions since she was eight years old.

“Correct,” Professor Rao paced in front of the class, her black robes waving as she moved. “Ten points to Slytherin.”

She listened half-heartedly, she had first made the Cure for Boils when she was ten years old under the supervision of her aunt Andromeda. Professor Rao was still explaining the intricacies with a practised air though Lily noted that she wasn’t the only student whose attention was wandering. Ophelia’s eyes were firmly fixed on Professor Rao but there was a Ravenclaw boy to her left who was playing with a Muggle paper airplane, tossing it higher and higher. She wished that she could have had Potions with the Gryffindors, at least then she could have sat with Hugo who would be telling his lame jokes and fretting over the colour of his potion. 

“Lily,” Ophelia began to gather her ingredients together. “We’re making it in pairs, what do you want to do?”

“Let’s chop the ingredients first and then I’ll show you how to make it,” She began slicing the nettles finely. 

“You’ll show me?” Ophelia said, confusion upon her face.

“I’ve made it before at least ten times,” Lily grinned. “It’s as easy as pumpkin pie.”

Teaching Ophelia was an interesting experience. Ophelia was far too by the book to make excellent potions, she had weighed out her ingredients too precisely. Lily believed that the reason she loved potions and made them perfectly was because she instinctively knew how to throw them together. It wasn’t something that you could really learn. And no-one ever went by the book anyway, it was more of a guideline. At least that’s what aunt Andromeda had always taught her and aunt Andromeda had always been good at Potions. Maybe, there was something about being Slytherin and being good at Potions. Lily had often wondered about that given that all the Potions teachers she had ever heard of had been Slytherin. 

There had been Professor Snape, her granddad’s rival. Professor Slughorn who had fawned over her grandma and then her dad. Professor Avery who had despaired over Teddy to her dad and now Professor Rao who was the youngest Potions professor ever to teach at Hogwarts. 

All of them Slytherins. 

She peered closer to her cauldron, smelling the scent of cooked snake fangs and watching for the distinctive pink smoke to rise. “Done.” 

“Lily, are you sure?” Ophelia reread the page. “It says to stew for 10 minutes until the smoke has risen and it’s only been 7.”

“Well done, ladies,” Professor Rao said as she approached. “It looks perfect.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Lily Luna scooped out a sample into her glass vial. “We’ll go first to demonstrate if that’s okay with you?”

“Will we?” Ophelia’s voice was but a whisper. 

“Yes,” Lily Luna hissed back whilst still smiling at Professor Rao. “It’ll work, trust me.”

She thought of all the hours she had spent over a cauldron in the last three years, experimenting with different ingredients and different methods of potion making because it made her happy. Her mum and dad hadn’t been overly keen on her interest, they were never particularly good themselves in Potions, but they had encouraged it anyway. It worried them, her having sessions with Aunt Andromeda, but seeing her triumphant smile after the first time helped to dispel their fears.

“See how Miss Potter and Miss Zabini’s potion has cured the boils upon Mr Macmillan’s arm without leaving any marks,” Professor Rao nodded with approval. “I daresay that you both deserve twenty points each for Slytherin.”

Being in Slytherin was beginning to look quite positive judging by the stare that Esme Nott was giving her across the room, it was a mixture of anger and jealousy that definitely didn’t suit her. But, Lily was pleased to see that other Slytherins who had shied away from her previously were coming over to speak to her and Ophelia about their points-winning potion. Even, the Macmillan boy looked impressed. Maybe, just maybe, being in Slytherin wasn’t the worst thing in the world especially as she was just starting to prove herself. She would make sure that Potions was her subject, Charms was another matter entirely. 

She was a Slytherin, it was time to make sure the school knew it. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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